Canadians getting ripped off... Is importing a Smart from the US viable?

[Calab]

I've gone online and priced identical Smart cars on the US and Canadian websites. For the same vehicle, it will cost me more than $4000 more here in Canada. That certainly doesn't seem fair!



Is it feasable to import a Smart car from the US (or even Mexico) into Canada?

[SmartCard]

Isn't that the case with any car purchased in Canada compared to its US equivalent?

[Karl Roth]

Lots of American cars are built both in Canada and Mexico...
Belive you will find our cars do not meet the Canadian spec and the other way around, same for the cars from Mexico. Pretty silly eh.
karl

[Big Panda]

Originally Posted by Calab

I've gone online and priced identical Smart cars on the US and Canadian websites. For the same vehicle, it will cost me more than $4000 more here in Canada. That certainly doesn't seem fair!



Is it feasable to import a Smart car from the US (or even Mexico) into Canada?

(famous last words) "i think" that if you look closely, you'll find that you get some of the options we have as standard equipment AND you get a longer warranty (3/36?).

might want to double check yourself.....and me too! while $4k does seem alot for just those differences, once you factor in the difference in US/Canadian exchange rate, it might not be THAT far off......

UPDATE: ok, checked for myself. Passion Coupe: 1) tridion safety cell in either black OR silver (no additional charge) 2) Premium Stereo (no additional charge) 3) Heated Seats (no additional charge) and a warranty of 48 MONTHS OR 80K km.....TWICE the warranty here in the US.

that's some of the difference in price....AND you get so many more options available than we do here in the US. i only wish we were offered HALF of what you guys get.

[paul c]

At least through the end of 2008, you'll get a $2000.00 rebate from the federal government on the purchase of a new smart. It's not clear whether this policy will continue into 2009.

[jwight]

Speedo not in kph and the biggy, NO DRLs. However, if you can figure out how to enable the DRLs on a US spec smart you will be a hero here.

[Arch]

Yep, not apples to apples. Already mentioned is the added warranty, $2k ecoAUTO rebate, standard heated seats and radio 10 for Canadian 451s, but another little known standard feature up north is power steering.

Arch

[Calab]

First off, the EccoRebate does NOT come from MB and should NOT be counted in the price of the car. If there were no EccoRebate, the MSRP would be different.

Secondly, I priced out two cars with the features I wanted. I don't care if the Canadian version has a dozen other options that I *DON'T* want. Why can't Canadians have the same choices available?

I don't need heated seats. I don't want a silver cell. Premium stereo??? Will the stereo be better than the aftermarket one that *I* want to install? I don't think so - the Smart stereo won't even play MP3's.

I'm basically paying $4000 for an extra two years warranty - and everyone knows how difficult it can be to collect when a warranty repair is needed.

Finally, power steering is NOT an automatic option in Canada. It's a $700 add on.

Here is what I'd order from Smart Canada... What would it cost in the USA?
- Smart "Pure"
- Metallic blue panels & black cell
- Velour mats
- Luggage fastener
- Glasses storage
- Smart sound system
- A/C
= $16740.00 CAD, plus taxes and stealership fees.



..and, of course, I hear that they have a Tubro option in Mexico!

[Arch]

Obviously the ecoAUTO rebate is a govt thing. Just as are the duties & fees that would be added to your car when importing it into Canada.

No one's saying that the pricing is a wash between the two countries when standard equipment is entered into the mix, just that comparisons aren't apples to apples. My post referred to the passion model (out of habit, because that's what most folks buy and you didn't mention otherwise in the first post), which does indeed come standard in Canada with power steering and the other things mentioned. But even your pure is different, with standard power windows and radio 9. Again, not to imply that the numbers work out to be apples to apples.

In the end, the price differences between similar cars from Canada to the US is an ancient topic of conversation no matter the marque being discussed. BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Chevrolet, whatever. Just hit google for page after page of bitter debate. Having worked and travelled extensively in both countries for smart USA and smart Canada, all I can personally observe is that it's not just cars, but pretty much everything costs more up there.

Some links for you to ponder...
All You Need to Know about Importing from the USA to Canada
How to import a vehicle into Canada
CanadianDriver: Special Feature - Canada/U.S. vehicle price differences: why Canadians pay more
Mercedes-Benz Canada - Vehicle Admissibility

Good luck!

Arch

[Karl Roth]

Reality sucks LOL
karl